The UK government has a serious case to answer when UK taxpayers’ money ends up in the coffers of a palm oil company linked to land grabs and labour violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s a scandal the Department for International Development (DFID) and its private equity arm, CDC, continue to turn a blind eye to the operations of Feronia. Canadian-based agribusiness company Feronia is majority owned by CDC and other European and US development banks.

The UK government is playing a key role in arming repression throughout the Persian Gulf, making a mockery of any commitment to democracy and human rights, according to a new report published by War on Want. From the training of sniper units to the sale of tear gas, and from the delivery of covert surveillance technologies to the provision of public order training, British officials and corporations, working closely together, are complicit in state violence in the Gulf.

The report exposes the hypocrisy of UNIQLO’s commitment to ‘corporate social responsibility’ and ‘making the world a better place’. A series of undercover investigations by War on Want partner, Students and Scholars against Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM), showed excessive overtime, low pay, dangerous working conditions and oppressive management to be rife in UNIQLO’s supplier factories in China.

The proposed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Europe and Canada will have a major impact on food and how it will be regulated. History shows that trade agreements put food safety at risk by harmonizing standards and reducing regulations to the lowest common denominator. If CETA is ratified, it will jeopardize the EU’s own food standards and regulations. European farmers, who have been struggling as farm prices crash, will also have to compete with Canadian agribusiness imports, resulting in a profound threat to jobs.

The values and principles that War onWant upholds have never been more important. In this edition of Up Front, read about our urgent new campaigns for migrant workers’ rights and for a radical trade agenda that puts people and planet first. Also in this edition we are proud to showcase our partnerships with social movements around the world. Read about how our partner SACOM is exposing workers’ rights abuses in China and how MONLAR in Sri Lanka is helping small farmers fight the corporate capture of the food system. Read too about Britain’s new scramble for Africa’s resources.

Food Safety, Agriculture and Regulatory Cooperation in the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, released by War on Want and European and Canadian allies, outlines the regulatory differences between Canada and the EU that could jeopardise European food safety and production standards. European farmers, who have been struggling as farm prices crash, will also have to compete with Canadian agribusiness imports, resulting in a profound threat to jobs.

The report reveals the degree to which British companies now control Africa’s key mineral resources, notably gold, platinum, diamonds, copper, oil, gas and coal. It documents how 101 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) — most of them British — have mining operations in 37 sub-Saharan African countries. They collectively control over $1 trillion worth of Africa’s most valuable resources. The UK government has used its power and influence to ensure that British mining companies have access to Africa’s raw materials.

Latest news

War on Want in The Times.A recent report by nine charities including RIAO-RDC, a Congolese NGO, and the western charities Grain and War on Want, levels a string of criticisms against Feronia, including allegations of land grabs, low pay and exploitation, writes Billy Kenber.

The government has serious case to answer when UK taxpayers’ money ends up in the coffers of a palm oil company linked to land grabs and labour violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The lack of oversight and due diligence is shocking, particularly when DFID is seeking to siphon off more of the public’s money to its private equity arm, CDC Group.